


How Brave Was I

by jkkitty



Series: MFU 100 prompts [35]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 21:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1178123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jkkitty/pseuds/jkkitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MFU-100 Story <br/>Prompt 30-Helicopter<br/>Napoleon's injury takes him back to his childhood</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Brave Was I

After escaping with plans to another doomsday machine, Illya and an injured Napoleon were moving slowly toward their pick up point in a Vermont forest.  Although they had lost the Thrush agents who were following them, Illya could tell his partners injuries were causing him to falter.

“There’s some covering over there, we will rest for awhile until you are able to move on.”  Illya said as he moved toward the heavy grove of maple trees supporting Napoleon.

“We need to get these plans to Waverly.  You go on. It’s only a couple of miles to the pickup point.  I’ll wait here for you.” 

“That is not an option.  We will get out together as always.”  Illya shook his head as he started a small fire.  “Besides in this forest I might not find you again.”

“I could order you to go,” Napoleon threatened, but the seriousness of his injuries had it to come out as a whisper.

“Go ahead, you could but we both know I will not follow the order.  Beside although we cannot talk to our people, our communicators’ tracers are still working.  Help will be here soon. Just rest.”

Illya had made a soft bed of leaves, and helped his partner lay down on them.  He rechecked the wrapping on the wound and tightened it before the wounded agent fell asleep.  Within a little bit, Napoleon temperature shot up causing him to moan in his sleep.  The little water in the area was from past rainfall. Although unable to drink it, Illya used it to try to cool down the American.

The wind began to pick up causing the leaves and seeds of the maple trees around them to launch into the air.

A laugh from the injured man had the Russian turning toward him. 

“Napoleon, are you alright?” Illya asked seeing the glaze over his partner’s eyes because of the fever.

“Helicopters, I see hundreds of helicopters.” 

“Shh, my friend.  Your fever is causing you to have hallucinations.  There are no helicopters here.”

“But there are.  Can’t you see them,” With that a swaying Napoleon stood up before trying to catch whirling seeds that were falling as they were released by the wind. 

Illya finally was able to get glide his partner back down and said, “They are just seeds.”

“When I was a child,” Napoleon spoke softly, whispering almost as if he was sharing a secret.   “Hundreds of them would be fall each autumn.  Their shape caused them to spin in the air.  We would run through them laughing and trying to catch as many as possible before the wind could take them away.  We would pretend that we soldiers being attacked by helicopters or as some of my friends called them whirlybirds.  The more we caught, the braver we were. I was very brave.”  His voice failing as he fell back asleep with a smile on his feverish face.

….

Napoleon woke in medical, his partner asleep in the chair next to him. 

“Hi there,” he said bringing Illya awake instantly.

“So you finally wake up.  You have to lose some weight.  I had to carry you the last fourth of a mile to meet the response team they sent for us.”  Illya said trying to hide his concern.

“Hey, I’m not that heavy.”  Napoleon understood what Illya was doing as he often did the same thing. “I had a funny dream.  UNCLE had sent hundreds of helicopters to pick us up.  Could you image Mr. Waverly’s face if he received that bill?”

Illya handed him a box.  Inside were a handful of maple tree seeds.  Napoleon ran his fingers through them, contented as he slipped back into sleep.  A smile remaining on his face of simpler times.


End file.
